Fixing slow retractable seat belts

[Simonjjb]

Hi All,

I have a 1972T that has seat belts that are slow and sticky/jerky to retract. Is there a thread on how to approach fixing this problem?

[smedley]

I'm not on the seat belt police force, or a self declared expert....

However, my upholsterer does have a lot of experience with early German belts and retractors.

Three possibilities:

1.) worn out/binding retractor shaft or housing that holds shaft

2.) build up of old grease and dirt

3.) the old webbing becomes frayed and thickens, and when it retracts the now larger roll interferes with the housing.

He says actually #2 and #3 are the most common as the mechanisms are pretty robust.

Cleaning, lubricating and re-webbing is the most common and successful fix.

[stretch]

Most of the retractor reels that i have attempted to have re-webbed have been certified as the springs have lost there tension and my company chuck most in the bin.

Yours may be one of the simple fix's mentioned by Mark though. Make sure you jam the reel under tension with a screwdriver before removing the webbing pin. If you don't and lose the tension, then the bin is your only choice. Once the webbing and pin are removed you could try soaking the reels in a lubricating fluid overnight.

Good luck with them.

[Simonjjb]

Thanks guys